Interview with Satnam Singh Bhamara: "I couldn't believe my luck when Dirk Nowitzki came upto me"

Satnam became the first Indian to make it into NBA

Satnam Singh Bhamara grew up in the small village of Ballo Ke in Punjab, which accomodates a total population of just 800 people. Situated 30 miles ahead of Ludhiana, not many would have heard of this small village, but that was all changed in the June of this year. 11,000kms ahead of Ballo Ke in Brooklyn, US, Ballo Ke saw one of their own create history.

19-year old Satnam was the 52nd pick by Dallas Mavericks in the NBA draft and although it meant little to the many sitting there, but back home in India, it was seen as a new era in the world of Basketball.

The announcement of his selection came as a wave of celebration for the youngsters family and village, and Satnam feels fortunate that he could provide such great recognition to his home town.

“From a small village to here, the journey has been great. My family, my coaches, ,y home town are getting good recognition. They are pleased that someone from there village has made it this far. They are happy that I have made all of them proud,” he told Sportskeeda.

Singh never had the luxury of playing in a basketball court in India, but when given a chance he surprsied many and landed himself a position in the presitigious IMG academy in Florida. “My coaches in school told me there are coaches from IMG academy coming and are looking for players. I decided to give it a shot and later impressed them and then was given a five year scholarship.”

It was at the age of 14 when Satnam landed a spot at the coveted academy in Florida, but it was not easy settling in there due to the various cultural and language barriers he faced initially. “If you see my position you'll realise how difficult it was for me. There was so much cultural and language difference. But I improved and was offered 100% scholarship. English was a big barrier for me initially and that was one of the reasons why I didnt go to college. My coaches had no problems with that, they understood my problem and helped me out,” Satnam recalls.

The youngster believes that despite not being from a Basketball driven country, there isn’t much difference in the quality he has to offer compared to the college graduates in the Mavericks squad.

“I am no less than the players present there. I don’t feel I lack anything compared to them. My coaches from the start of my career have helped me grow and develop and that has been one of the key reasons why I have made it till here,” Satnam said.

But despite heaping such high praise on the coaches, Satnam believes that the country still needs to improve on a lot of fronts to create more players of NBA stature.

“After I've gone to the US, has there been any other opportunities for someone else? No. We need to improve this. NBA Jump is a good platform but there should be more such things to tap talent in this vast country.”

“Academies should be everywhere. In Mumbai there is a good academy with coaches coming from abroad. What is important is to bring something that is not here. There are no good coaches. Coaches dont have talent, that is why they bring American coaches. Indian coaches lack talent here,” he added.

Satnam looking to bring a new wave of basketball to India

Nicknamed “Chottu”, Satnam expressed his desire to play for the Dallas Mavericks continuously for a few years and stay focused with them, rather than representing the National side. When questioned why, Satnam expressed his infuriation on the coaches.

“I want to play for India. But I want to improve my game. I have been playing international for 3-4 years but I didnt get my opportunity. It was then that I decided not to play here anymore. I want to show them what I've become now and how far I've come. I get angry at times. Everyone messages me why I didnt play for India but how do I tell them that it was because of the coaches. Once a coach told the head coach that lets send Satnam in but the Indian coach refused and then the whole tournament I didnt get to play.“

“It was because I came a week before. I was training with IMG before that to improve my game and play for India. I can't leave my school and come. I practiced in USA for India but when I came here I didnt get a chance. I want to play with Dallas for 2-3 years and improve my game. For India I can play anytime I want but right now I want to focus on NBA. In India there is no one to take care of you. During an injury they keep saying wait and it will get healed but that's not how its done. When I showed it in the US they asked me to rest for 6-8 months. I ultimately wasted a year because of lack of treatment. There is nothing here, why should I play here,” he expressed his disappointment.

Life at the Mavericks though has been different for Satnam who believes he is getting the attention and training he deserves.

“They think I am fine in my place. I practice a lot and I am working hard. They want me to develop now and get experience. They have asked me to wait for a few years so that I can improve further. I skipped college and moved directly to the D Level, so I want to gain more experience here before the making jump. I had the best coaches there and they gave me the right training. They helped me in improving my speed, movement and worked on my weaknesses. I had no idea I'll get to play with such great players,” he expressed his delight.

Satnam incidentally shares the same position as Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki, and the 19-year old couldn’t control his emotions when given the chance to meet him.

“He met me like a brother. He told me good luck for the draft and I was surprised I came back to Mavericks. I am looking forward to play with him,” he concluded.